Governor Kathy Hochul assumed office under difficult circumstances that included a government in disarray and a resurgence of the covid pandemic. One of her first promises was to “change the culture of Albany,” and she indeed brought in a new style of governing that was sorely needed. Her collaborative and open approach allowed her to build good working relations with the Legislature and New York City Mayor, a rare sight in New York. She assembled an impressive team of dedicated public servants to assist her and has been open to receiving input from all stakeholders. 

Hochul’s first plan also included a bold vision to replace the state’s failed ethics watchdog with a new independent body that would not be appointed by elected officials and would work under more effective and transparent rules, which she framed as “blowing up JCOPE.” The reform she passed, a compromise approved in the final stretch of budget negotiations, kept appointment power with elected officials but added a vetting process for appointees, managed by law school deans. While we view it as inadequate, recent signs suggest the vetting process might be better than previously expected. In her interview with Citizens Union, Hochul was honest about the difficulties in getting reform policies to pass and spoke about the pushback she often receives. She said she believes in incremental progress to build support for the future. “It’s a game of yards,” she said on reform.

Another critical area of reform where she wants to see change is election administration. Hochul said she supports meaningful reforms to the Board of Elections, including reducing the partybased hiring in election boards, implementing open and competitive hiring processes, and amending the constitution to remove the control of parties over election boards. Acknowledging the political challenges around this issue, Hochul said she wants to start with “low-hanging fruit” and work from there. Her commitment to election reforms is evident from the increased funding she provided to the new public campaign finance system, as well as the support she lent for important policies like ten-day voter registration deadline, poll sites on college campuses, and the New York Voting Rights Act. 

The Governor must do more to improve on two important issues. First, her role in approving the gerrymandered redistricting plan that was struck down by the courts, and her decision not to consolidate the two summer primaries, were disappointing. As the state considers the next steps in redistricting reform, the Governor should show the leadership needed to prevent parties from using the process to their advantage, as we saw this year. Second, she has faced a number of controversies involving personal conduct and ethics since entering office, including campaign fundraising practices, the use of the state’s plane for campaign purposes, the rushed approval of the Buffalo Bills stadium deal, and the appointment of a Lieutenant Governor who was later indicted for corruption. The Governor must do more to ensure New Yorkers that she conducts the political affairs of this office in an upright manner and maintains the public trust.

Citizens Union believes that Kathy Hochul is best positioned of the three Democratic candidates to effectuate critically needed changes in how Albany operates. She has shown a willingness and interest to pursue important reforms and demonstrated a better way of governing the state. Citizens Union prefers her in the Democratic Primary for Governor and looks forward to continuing working with her to improve New York’s democracy.

Citizens Union also interviewed Congressman Tom Suozzi and was impressed by his desire to fix some of the major problems facing the state. A former Nassau County Executive, his accomplishments heading that multi-billion-dollar government have earned him high regards in New York State and around the nation. He is widely regarded as the person responsible for the dramatic turnaround of what was one of the nation’s worst-managed counties before he took office. Now Suozzi has decided to leave his congressional seat and run for Governor, because he says New York is losing its influence – and its residents. As a proven executive and someone who knows how to work with the other side – he is a member of the House Problem Solvers Caucus – he believes he is best suited to get the New York government to work. Suozzi supports most of the Citizens Union reform agenda. He published a government accountability plan that addresses campaign finance, budget transparency, and ethics issues. On the latter, he wants to replace the current ethics watchdog, JCOPE, with a truly independent ethics commission, and pledged to support the structure Citizens Union proposed for such a body. He was also critical of the failed plan to gerrymander the state’s districts – including his own – but remained skeptical about the possibility of fixing redistricting without federal action. Suozzi does not support getting political parties out of election administration because he believes they provide adequate checks and balances but promises to keep an open mind about solutions to improve the current system. Citizens Union appreciates his valuable addition to this race.